


Cold As Hell

by Dean_hugs_Sammy



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cold Weather, Comforting Dean, Gen, Hurt Dean, Hurt Sam, New Year's Eve, Post-Cage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2014-12-28
Packaged: 2018-03-04 02:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2905493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dean_hugs_Sammy/pseuds/Dean_hugs_Sammy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hunt on New Year's Eve takes a bad turn for the Winchesters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Man, it's cold out here!" Dean said and rubbed his hands together before blowing air on them in an attempt to force some heat into his frozen fingers.

"I told you." Sam said, his breath leaving white clouds in the cold December air. "So why did you leave your gloves in the Impala?"

"I didn't know it would be _this_ cold." Dean said, rubbed his hands together once more and then looked at them. "Do my fingers look a bit blue to you?"

Sam sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Here, take these." He said and peeled off his gloves before handing them over to Dean. "I've got a spare pair."

" _What?_ You'd got two pair of gloves this entire time?" Dean exclaimed while putting on Sam's gloves. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wouldn't have had to if you'd just listened to me in the first place." Sam said, reached into his pocket and took out another pair of gloves.

He put on the new pair that was a lot less warm than the first couple had been. This pair was actually the ones he would have used underneath the ones he'd just handed over to his brother in case the weather turned even colder, but Sam kept that fact to himself. Dean needed the gloves more than he did right now so Sam was willing to make the sacrifice.

"Yeah yeah, let's just find that son of a bitch and kill it, so we can get back to my baby." Dean said and put his binoculars before his eyes to take a look at the surroundings.

There had been a series of killings in this area that the local rangers had declared bear attacks. However, Sam had believed they were dealing with a chupacabra – a sort of supernatural animal the size of a small bear that liked to attack people and drink their blood – which was why they were freezing their asses off in the snowy mountains of Montana right now.

"Any signs of it?" Sam asked while the sun was setting in the horizon.

"No, not yet." Dean said with a shake of his head before removing the binoculars from his eyes.

Sam coughed a little and Dean turned his head to glance at his brother. Sam had always had trouble staying warm as a kid but that had changed when he'd grown older and had turned 6'4". Ever since Sam had returned from hell though, the kid had had trouble staying warm yet again. People mistakenly believed hell was a burning hot place but in reality it was the total opposite thing. Hell was cold – the kinda cold that creeps under your skin and turns your bones to ice. Dean knew that from experience.

"You cold?" Dean asked and watched as Sam tightened the scarf around his neck.

"I'm fine, Dean." Sam said.

"You sure?" Dean asked which led the younger Winchester to sigh.

"Yes Dean, I'm sure." Sam said. "Let's just get this over with."

"Alright." Dean said and looked through the binoculars again.

He was just about to complain about the frosty air again when something caught his attention.

"Sam." Dean said. "Chupacabra ten o'clock."

Sam screwed up his eyes a bit as he scouted in the direction Dean had mentioned and then he saw it.

"It's heading this way." Sam said.

"Perfect." Dean said and lowered the binoculars before reaching for his gun. "Let's get this party started, shall we?"

"More like ending it." Sam said and pulled out his own gun.

"Details, Sammy." Dean said with a wry smile as he cocked his gun.

They then fell silent as they waited for the chupacabra to get close, but one moment it was there and the next moment it was gone.

"Where the hell did it go?" Dean muttered with annoyance.

"It must have changed directions." Sam said.

"Dammit!" Dean exclaimed. "Well, we have no other choice than to move then. I go right, you go left."

"Dean, shouldn't we rather stay together?" Sam asked a bit hesitatingly.

"It's gonna be faster if we split up." Dean said and started moving. "And the faster we kill the damn thing, the faster we'll get back to the car."

"Fine." Sam said before he walked in the opposite direction of his brother.

Sam didn't like it though. It was already getting pretty dark and the chupacabra's senses were great in the darkness which was why he thought it would have been a safer choice to stay together. But Dean was right – it would be faster to split up and Sam wouldn't mind getting back to the heaters in the Impala as soon as possible. Since the sun had completely disappeared in the horizon and the wind had picked up a bit, the temperature had dropped significantly. Sam wished Dean would have brought his own pair of gloves so that Sam wouldn't be freezing his fingers inside the too thin pairs he was wearing right now. The scarf around his neck and the hat on his head were at least a little help but Sam was still cold. Not that there was something new about that, he was always cold these days, but normally he would be able to put on a warmer sweater or an extra pair of socks. Not this time though.

Sam walked through the snow with cautious steps and a raised gun. The chupacabra couldn't be far away and he knew it was only a matter of time before either he or Dean would run into it. A snarl nearby made him freeze on the spot and Sam looked in the direction of the sound before spotting a pair of glowing red eyes that came closer to him with dangerously high speed.

"Hey!" Dean suddenly yelled which made the creature turn its attention away from Sam and instead focus on the older brother.

The chupacabra snarled again and started moving towards Dean who took aim at the creature and fired his gun. Unfortunately, the bullet that had meant to be fatal only chipped the chupacabra who collided with Dean the moment after.

"Dean!" Sam yelled and started running towards his brother.

Dean let out a yelp of pain when the chupacabra scratched his arm with its claws but that was the last thing it ever got to do cause in the next second, a round of shots hit its back as Sam fired his gun. The chupacabra then collapsed on top of Dean and Dean kicked it off him with a groan.

"You alright?" Sam asked while packing away his gun.

"Yeah, just peachy." Dean grumbled before getting up from the snow. "These damn gloves. I would have made a perfect kill if it hadn't been for.."

Dean's sentence was cut off by a loud rumble that vibrated underneath their feet and the brothers exchanged a panicked look. The shots they'd fired had apparently started an avalanche that came rushing towards them with great speed.

"Run, Sammy! Go!" Dean said and gave his little brother a shove before the two of them started running as fast as the snow underneath their boots allowed them to do.

It wasn't fast enough though and the avalanche had soon caught up with them.

"Dean!" Sam shouted and then gasped as he got swept off his feet when the avalanche hit him.

"Sammy!" Dean yelled in horror before he too got hit by the enormous amounts of snow.

For a while, the only thing Sam was able to see was snow – and lots of it! The snow found its way into his boots, jacket and even his mouth, nose and ears, but Sam barely noticed it as he desperately tried to grab onto anything he passed on his way down the mountainside. Sam got hit by a number of things in passing and in the end one of those things collided with his temple and the white before his eyes faded to black in an instant.

**_ SPN _ SPN _ SPN _ SPN _**

The first thing Sam became aware of again was the fact that he was cold. Really, really cold. For a short moment he feared he was back in hell but this kinda cold felt different though. He tried to open his eyes but there was something covering his face. Snow, Sam realized, before he started pushing the snow away from his face. He was then able to open his eyes and Sam found himself halfway buried in snow while the upper half of his body was free. As soon as Sam tried to move, he realized with rising panic that something was trying to choke him. He moved his hands to his neck and discovered the fact that the restricting material around his neck was in fact his scarf. And it was too tight. The end of the scarf must have been stuck in something but Sam was unable to move enough to free himself since the lower part of his body was stuck in the snow, and he realized that he was trapped. The part of Sam's body that was underneath the snow had already started to become pretty numb from the cold snow, his head throbbed from a bleeding gash on the left side of his forehead, his fingers were pretty frozen and he was all alone.

_Dean._

Where was his brother? Was he alright? Was Dean trapped somewhere in the snow as well or was he looking for Sam?

"Dean!" Sam called though the scarf around his neck made it difficult for him to do so. "Dean!"

Sam listened for any sounds of his brother, while his body shivered violently from the coldness he felt, but everything around him was quiet. No not entirely, Sam realized, as distant bangs could be heard.

_Oh, right. New Year's Eve,_ Sam remembered and turned his head as much as the scarf allowed him to do to see the fireworks in the distance.

The Winchester brothers never really celebrated getting into a new year. Once in a while Dean had tended New Year's parties while Sam had stayed home with a book or his laptop, but mostly they spent the night together - watching some movie in TV or sitting on the hood of the Impala with a beer in hand, watching the fireworks. Not this year though. This year, Sam was halfway buried underneath a pile of snow, freezing, hurting, bleeding, while worrying whether or not his big brother was out there somewhere looking for him, in the same situation as Sam or.. No, Dean _had_ to be alright.

Sam kept watching the fireworks while his body continued to shiver, and the pretty colors in the distance faded together in a blur as tears welled up in the younger Winchester brother's eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Dean frantically tried to grab onto something as he slid down the mountainside with snow all around him. Even though the thought about being buried underneath the enormous amounts of snow should be terrifying to him, the only thing that really terrified Dean in those moments was the thought of Sam being hurt or buried alive in the cold white snow. Dean knew he had to save himself in order to save his little brother, so he bit down the pain in his injured arm and fought with all he'd got to grip onto something. Luck was with the oldest Winchester brother for once. Dean managed to close his gloved hands around a tree root and, even though the jerk of it had him crying out in pain, he kept holding onto the root until the avalanche eventually settled down.

"Son of a bitch." Dean groaned and let go of the tree root to hold his injured arm to his chest while breathing through the pain.

When the pain finally ceased to a bearable level, Dean hoisted himself up against a tree and then started accessing his injuries. It wasn't too bad, really. He'd only managed to get some shallow cuts from his trip down the hill, but the gash on his arm from the cupacabra's claws was still bleeding and Dean knew he needed to do something about it. He was gonna need all his strength if he wanted to find Sam so he couldn't risk anything. Dean peeled off the gloves – _Sam's gloves –_ and then unzipped his jacket before carefully sliding his injured arm out of it. He hissed a little and then shivered as the cold wind immediately found its way inside his exposed clothes. Dean ripped a shred off his over shirt and wrapped it around his arm with clenched jaw. He then put the jacket back on and zipped it up before putting his now freezing fingers back into Sam's gloves. Dean then pushed himself to his feet and looked down the mountainside. It was dark but the moonlight combined with the snow made it easier for him to take in the surroundings.

"Sam!" Dean called, his voice echoing in the still night. "Sammy!"

He listened carefully but Dean couldn't hear his little brother's voice and that made his chest tighten.

"Sammy!" Dean called again while using his hands to heighten the effect of his voice. "Damn it!

Sam had been swept away by the avalanche right before Dean had, so unless Sam had been lucky enough to catch onto something like Dean had been on his way down, Dean assumed his brother must have been somewhere further down the mountainside. Dean carefully started walking downwards with very cautious steps. He was afraid that the newly moved snow would be so unsteady that he was in danger of falling through, or that he would accidentally step on Sam if he wasn't careful enough. Dean reached into his pocket and took out a small flashlight before turning it on and letting the ray of light scan the area for any signs of his baby brother.

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed and nearly had a heart attack when his flashlight caught the unmistakably hat of his brother's.

Dean would have been able to recognize that hat everywhere since _he_ had been the one who bought it for Sam only a few days ago. For Christmas. Since Sam was too cold all the time to walk around outside in the frosty air without a hat, he'd started wearing an old beanie he'd found at the bottom of his duffel bag. And it had been hideous but Sam didn't care about that no matter how much Dean had mocked him for it.

"It's warm, Dean." Sam had said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I would have given my eyes for a hat like this back in the cage."

Sam had then rubbed a finger across the scar on his hand and Dean had felt rather guilty for mocking his brother. Instead of apologizing though, Dean had come up with a better solution. He'd decided that since Sam needed a hat to stay warm, he could at least wear one that didn't look like a run-over chicken. So Dean had bought Sam a new beanie – a black one with grey letters on it saying _Bitch_ – and had given it to Sam for Christmas. The younger Winchester brother had not been as amused with the word on the hat as Dean had been, but Sam had been wearing the hat on the following day nevertheless. That particular hat was now halfway buried in snow and Dean scooted down on his knees next to it and started digging.

"Sam!" Dean kept calling as he dug deeper into the snow with his gloved hands. "Come on.. Come on.."

If the beanie was here then Sam had to be here too, right? Or maybe not. With the force the avalanche had hit them with, the hat could have been ripped from Sam's head which meant that Dean still didn't have a clue to where the hell Sam could be. Was he trapped underneath the snow right here or had he been dragged further down the mountainside?

Dean dug his fingers into the fabric of the beanie and held it to his chest as panic started consuming him. Sam could be suffocating or freezing to death anywhere on this mountainside right now, praying for his big brother to find him in time. A shiver ran through the older brother's body from the frosty air and Dean looked up when fireworks lighted up the sky in the distance.

_Oh right.. New Year's Eve.._

Dean forced back the tears that threatened to fall and forced himself back on his feet. Sam was out there somewhere and Dean wouldn't give up until he'd found him.

"Sam!" Dean called as he continued his search downwards, once again scanning the area with his flashlight.

It was so damn cold and the temperature kept dropping, Dean could feel with increasing worry. Dean was at least moving around but if Sam was trapped somewhere in the snow unable to move, then it was only a matter of time before the kid would... Dean stopped dead in his tracks as his flashlight once again lighted up a part of his little brother's clothing – this time Sam's scarf. It was stuck on some sort of tree bark. Dean let the light travel along the scarf and then he gasped as the light fell upon Sam's curly brown locks.

"Oh God, Sammy!" Dean exclaimed and hurried to close the gap between him and his younger brother before he slid to his knees beside Sam.

The lower part of Sam's body was buried underneath the snow but the upper part was free, Dean noticed. Sam was completely still though and as Dean used the flashlight to take a better look at Sam's face, Dean's heart starting pounding violently inside his chest. Sam had a bleeding gash on the side of his forehead that would definitely require some stitches but that wasn't what worried the older Winchester brother the most. It was the too pale, almost white, color of Sam's skin and the bluish shade on his lips that had the alarm bells ringing inside Dean's head. Dean's eyes then widened as he realized that the scarf around Sam's neck was so tight that it was constricting his brother's airway, so Dean quickly found a knife and cut the scarf in two before loosening the part around Sam's neck as much as possible without removing it completely. Sam could need the warmth it provided. Dean noticed the red mark on Sam's neck from where the scarf had been choking his brother and he felt an urge of panic. Dean peeled off his gloves and put his fingers to Sam's neck. He then let out a relieved sigh as he felt a weak but yet present pulse before letting his hands slide to Sam's cheeks.

"Jesus! You're as cold as ice, kiddo." Dean mumbled.

He then took the spare gloves off Sam's fingers and was shocked to discover how cold Sam's fingers were. Dean quickly replaced the spare gloves with the ones Sam had originally worn, before he put the beanie over Sam's head and then quickly started digging his brother free of the snow. As soon as Sam was free, Dean pulled him up against his chest and tried to wake Sam up.

"Come on little brother." Dean said and tapped Sam's cold cheeks. "Sammy, can you hear me? Open your eyes. Sam! Don't make me carry your giant ass all the way down to the Impala!"

Sam didn't as much as stir and Dean clenched his jaw. He had to get his brother warmed up as soon as possible so he had no other choice than to try to carry Sam away from the snowy mountain. The task was gonna be quite a bitch though. Dean let out a yelp of pain when he tried lifting Sam up with his hurt arm and then quickly set his brother down again.

"There has to be an easier way.." Dean mumbled to himself and looked around.

His eyes caught sight of the bark Sam's scarf had been stuck on and then he came up with an idea. Dean carefully lowered Sam back to the ground and then pulled the large piece of bark free from the snow. Dean put it down next to his brother and sat down on it before maneuvering Sam until Dean had got him placed between his legs with Sam's back against Dean's chest.

"Remember we did this a couple of times when we were kids?" Dean asked his limp brother with a groan as he held on to Sam with one arm – the injured one - and pushed the bark forward with the other arm.

The piece of bark started moving downwards and Dean was now thankful for the frosty air to have created an icy surface to the snow so that they could easily slide down the mountainside. The landing could have been a bit better, Dean decided, but they'd been able to make it all the way down and Dean could now see the Impala.

"Come on Sammy, we gotta get you to the car." Dean said but before he could move, Sam let out a little groan and rolled his head a bit to the side. "Sammy?"

"D-D-Dean." Sam stuttered out without opening his eyes.

"So _now_ you decide to wake up." Dean grinned. "You missed out on all the fun dude."

"C-cold." Sam said and Dean's grin was gone in an instant.

"I know buddy, I know." Dean said in a soft voice. "We just need to get you to the car. You think you can walk?"

"C-can't f-f-feel m-my l-l-legs." Sam stuttered and shivered violently. "S-so c-cold."

"It's okay Sammy, I've got you." Dean assured his younger brother.

Dean ignored the pain in his arm as he elevated Sam to his shoulders and started carrying him in a fireman's carry.

"I'll fix you up in no time, Sammy." Dean promised through gritted teeth. "You're gonna be alright little brother. I promise."


	3. Chapter 3

Carrying Sam to the car was anything but easy and by the time Dean had reached the car, lowered Sam down and propped him against the Impala, Dean felt totally drained for energy. He didn't have time to rest however because he needed to get his brother warmed up – and fast! The color of Sam's skin and lips hadn't changed at all and his teeth were chattering violently. Even though Dean had tried to keep Sam talking on the difficult walk to the car, Sam had been more out of it than coherent and Dean was pretty worried about the state Sam was in. He held onto his younger brother while trying to pry open the passenger door of his beloved car which was pretty hard since Sam wasn't able to stand on his own and Dean's injured arm ached.

"Come on Sasquatch." Dean said when he finally managed to open the door. "Let's get you inside."

Dean maneuvered Sam into the car and then closed the door before he hurried to the trunk of the car to pick up a few supplies. When he slid into the car himself and had closed the door behind him, Dean quickly put his keys into the ignition and turned on the car. He reached out and turned the heaters up as far as they could go before he turned his attention towards his brother. Sam still remained in the position Dean had placed him in and he was shaking all over his body. In that moment Sam looked so innocent and vulnerable that Dean realized that behind the supposedly tough façade of his giant of a little brother, Sam would always be the kid he'd taken care of and protected since Dean had been just a kid himself.

"We need to get you out of those wet and cold clothes kiddo." Dean said as he began unzipping Sam's jacket and peeled it off – wincing at the coldness he felt when he touched Sam's skin.

Dean was not happy when he took off his brother's gloves and inspected the state of Sam's fingers. Judging from the red and white patches and the icy temperature of the skin, Sam's fingers were clearly suffering from frostbites and the older Winchester brother could only hope that no permanent damage had been made. He couldn't bear the thought of Sam not being able to use his fingers properly anymore. Dean started rubbing Sam's fingers in a gentle way between his hands to hopefully provide them a little bit warmth before he put the gloves back on Sam's hands and decided he had to get Sam out of the remaining wet clothes.

"N-n-no.." Sam stuttered through chattering teeth and weakly tried to struggle when Dean had made it to his shirt. "T-too c-c-cold.."

"I know Sammy, and that is exactly why I have to get you out of these wet clothes before you freeze to death." Dean said and immediately wrapped a blanket around Sam's shoulders as soon as he'd removed the shirt.

He then took off his brother's boots and socks and Dean bit his lips when he discovered the fact that Sam had also got frostbites on his toes. Dean reached into the backseat and dug a bit around until he'd found a pair of – maybe not clean but definitely dry – socks before he slipped them onto Sam's feet.

"D-don't." Sam groaned when Dean started unbuckling his brother's belt. "P-please."

"Sam, I'm only trying to help you." Dean said and jerked his head back a bit when Sam weakly swung a gloved fist close to his face.

"Sam!" Dean exclaimed as he grabbed Sam's wrists and pressed them against the younger brother's chest. "Stop it!"

"D-Dean?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, who else would I be? The tooth fairy?" Dean sighed but was relieved when Sam stopped struggling.

Sam opened his eyes to slits as if to confirm Dean was truly the one hovering in front of him and he then closed them again, before Dean pulled Sam's pants off and wrapped another blanket around Sam's shaking form.

Dean dabbed away some of the blood on Sam's forehead and gently shushed his brother when Sam let out a small whimper.

"I know kiddo, I know." Dean soothed before he pulled together the edges of the wound and applied some butterfly enclosures to keep the skin in place until he could properly close the wound with stitches.

Dean also peeled out of his own jacket and removed the shed of his shirt he'd wrapped around his arm, before replacing it by some bandages.

"Okay, let's get the hell out of Dodge.." Dean then mumbled and slid back behind the wheel before he sped away from the mountainside.

**_ SPN _**

When Sam slowly but surely came to, he was still feeling cold. But not just cold – his whole body was aching and his hands and feet hurt. Sam let out a muffled groan as he tried to move and he then opened his eyes to find himself buried under what seemed like at least five blankets. Sam had a hard time focusing though since everything was blurry and he felt disorientated. Where was he exactly? And where was Dean? Sam's head ached and he realized he was kinda sweaty even though he was still shivering. The youngest Winchester brother let his hands meet underneath the blankets in order to rub his thumb across the scar on his left hand, and Sam's breath hitched when he found himself unable to do so. Something was covering both his hands and panic soon rose in Sam's chest. Suddenly the blankets felt too oppressive - Sam felt like he was suffocating and struggled to get free. All of a sudden though, the blankets were removed from his arms and he was heaved to a sitting position while hands held onto his shoulders.

"Hey! Calm down!" Someone ordered and it wasn't until then that Sam realized he'd been screaming. "You're okay, Sammy."

Sam only knew one person who could bark an order and be soothing at the same time. _Dean._ Sam blinked his eyes a couple of times and the blurry figure in front of him slowly morphed into his big brother.

"I.. I can't.. My hands.. Dean.." Sam said and shook his head from side to side in confusion and despair while shivers continued to run through his body. "So cold.. Dean.. So cold.."

Even though he was baffled, Sam knew he didn't make much sense. However, he'd apparently made enough sense for his brother to understand.

"Shh.. Stone number one, Sammy. Remember?" Dean shushed and Sam gave up on trying rubbing a finger across his scar. "You're running a fever kiddo and you're probably still cold from being trapped in the snow."

Snow? Yeah, Sam did remember something about snow and coldness - and strangely enough also fireworks. He couldn't really connect the dots right now though but at least he knew Dean was here and that his brother was taking care of him. But the coldness – man, the coldness was killing him!

"S-still cold.." Sam said and watched as Dean washed a hand down his worried and tired face.

"Maybe this will work." Dean muttered and Sam felt him release his shoulders before Dean suddenly positioned himself behind the younger brother.

Sam got pulled back until he was propped up against Dean's chest and the blankets were tugged closer around him. Arms were then wrapped around him from behind and finally warmth seemed to find its way into Sam's body.

"Sleep, Sammy." Dean said.

Sam closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he melted back into his brother's embrace and soon drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

When Dean had moved Sam from the car to their motel room, he'd placed Sam on the bed farthest away from the door and quickly wrapped some blankets around his shivering brother. Dean had then found the first-aid kit and dug out some clothes from Sam's duffel before he'd begun the task of taking care of his brother. Dean knew that Sam could very well be suffering from hypothermia so, first of all, Dean had turned up the heaters in the motel room, before he had dressed Sam in a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt and a hoodie to keep his brother as warm as possible.

"This is just like when you were little, Sam." Dean had said with a shake of his head while he rearranged the blankets around his brother's shaking form.

To Dean's big relief the frostbites on Sam's fingers and toes weren't as severe as first expected but that didn't mean that Dean didn't have to do something about them. He filled the ice bucket with some temperate water and returned to his brother's side. Dean carefully lowered Sam's hands into the water and carded a hand through Sam's bangs when the younger brother let out a pain-filled moan.

"It'll be over soon, I promise." Dean assured his brother.

When he was satisfied with the amount of time Sam's hands had been in the water, Dean carefully lifted Sam's hands out of the water and gently dried them off before wrapping bandages around both hands. Dean repeated the action with Sam's feet and applied two pairs of thick socks, and he then turned his attention towards the wound on Sam's forehead. When Dean got started on the required stitches, he noticed that even though Sam was still shivering his little brother's forehead felt warm to the touch which meant that Sam was probably running a fever. Dean cursed when the sound of some firecrackers coming from outside startled him and almost had him poking Sam in the eye with the needle. If he hadn't decided he couldn't leave Sam for this time being, Dean would have ripped open the door to their motel room and beat the crap out of whoever had used those firecrackers!

Dean finished up the stitches and admired his handiwork for a moment before he dug out some Tylenol from the first-aid kit and filled up a glass of water.

"Come on, Sammy." Dean said and moved his brother into a sitting position. "I need you to take these pills dude."

He shook Sam's shoulders a bit and Sam only groaned his answer.

"I know you would rather sleep and you can do that again _after_ swallowing these pills, okay?" Dean said.

Years of experience on how to handle a sick Sam allowed Dean to simply pry his brother's mouth open and place the pills on his tongue. Dean then placed the glass of water by Sam's lips and told him to drink - and Sam obeyed. It never ceased to amaze the older Winchester brother how much Sam trusted him, and Dean also couldn't help but think about how remarkable it was that Sam had spent almost his entire life questioning every order their father had barked at him, but when Dean had told Sam to do something he more or less always listened. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Dean had always been the one to take care of Sam or maybe Sam had simply always known that Dean would put Sam's well-being in front of anything else at anytime.

"That a boy.." Dean said in a soft voice and put the glass on the nightstand before he lowered Sam back down on the bed and tugged the blankets closer around his brother. "Still shivering though, huh? I guess that's what being half-way buried underneath an avalanche can do to you."

Dean stripped the covers off his own bed and draped them over the youngest Winchester brother as well before he decided he couldn't do more for Sam right now. He then went into the bathroom to take a shower and when he returned, Dean noticed the fact that Sam was still shaking.

"How can you still be cold, dude? You've got like a mountain of blankets already!" Dean grumbled though there was no real heat behind his words.

He found an extra blanket and put it on top of the pile of blankets that already covered Sam before Dean flopped down on the other bed. As long as Sam was out cold, Dean could as well try to get a few hours too.

"What a crappy New Year.." Dean mumbled and wished he and Sam had never decided to go on that hunt in the first place.

If they hadn't, then he would have been able to celebrate New Year's Eve more properly with his brother. Sam deserved much better than this – the poor kid could never catch a break, not even on New Year's frigging Eve.

"Happy New Year, Sammy." Dean whispered before he fell asleep to the sounds of firework and his baby brother's steady breathing.

When Dean woke back up it was by the screams of his brother and Dean was out of bed and by Sam's side in a heartbeat.

"Sam!" Dean called while he quickly tried to determine the reason to Sam's sudden fit and he noticed how the younger brother struggled to free himself from the blankets.

Dean pulled the blankets away from Sam's upper body and grabbed him by the shoulders before he hoisted Sam into a sitting position.

"Hey! Calm down!" Dean shouted and tightened his hold of Sam's shoulders. "You're okay, Sammy."

Sam stopped screaming and blinked glassy and confused eyes at him while panting heavily.

"I.. I can't.. My hands.. Dean.." Sam said while shaking his head from side to side. "So cold.. Dean.. So cold.."

Dean looked down at Sam's hands and let out a little sigh as he realized the fact that Sam was panicking because he couldn't rub his thumb across his scar like he always did when he wanted to reassure himself that he wasn't still trapped in the cage. Dean's heart ached every time he watched Sam do that.

"Shh.. Stone number one, Sammy. Remember?" Dean soothed and then tried to explain to Sam that he was running a fever and was probably cold from the snow.

"S-still cold." Sam stuttered out.

Dean washed a hand down his face while wondering what to do. How could Sam possibly still be cold? Or better yet; what could Dean possibly do to help his little brother? Dean hated to see Sam suffer which he was clearly doing right now. Sam was still pretty out of it because of the fever and everything, and Dean knew that he had to do something if he wanted Sam to get some more rest anytime soon.

"Maybe this will work." Dean mumbled and let go of Sam's shoulders so that he could slide behind his brother and pull Sam against his chest.

Dean made sure the blankets were covering Sam properly before he wrapped his arms around his little brother and held him tight. Dean felt the shivers that kept running through Sam's body but they ceased a little bit.

"Sleep Sammy." Dean said and he soon felt Sam relax against him.

Dean smiled wryly when Sam's breathing evened out and the older brother soon let sleep consume him as well.


	5. Chapter 5

When Sam woke up the following morning he felt all warm and comfortable – and safer than he'd felt in longer time than he could remember. Sam rolled his head a bit to the side without opening his eyes and he then realized that he was leaning against something.. No, _someone_. Someone Sam connected with _home_ , _safeness_ and _love._ Someone that had currently got his arms wrapped around the youngest Winchester brother.

"Dean." Sam mumbled.

"Sammy? You awake, dude?" Dean's voice asked.

"Yeah.. What's going on?" Sam asked, still without opening his eyes.

"What's going on?" Dean repeated with a sigh. "You, my brother, got hit by an avalanche and nearly froze to death. Thanks for giving me a frigging heart attack you moron!"

"Sorry." Sam said.

"Yeah well, it's not like it's your fault." Dean said. "But what a way to spend the New Year's! I could have hooked up with some random chick somewhere instead of being squashed by your giant body."

"So you're telling me that I spent New Year's Eve dangerously close to your groin?" Sam asked. "That makes me feel really uncomfortable."

"You're an ungrateful little brat, you know that?" Dean asked which made Sam snort a little. "Besides, it's not like I've seen you move yet."

Sam didn't answer.

"Sam?" Dean asked.

"Mmm, just five more minutes.." Sam mumbled and buried himself impossibly deeper into his brother's warm embrace.

"What are you? 12?" Dean asked, though a wry smile had spread on his face.

Sam's retort was muffled by a cough and Dean moved one of his hands up to feel Sam's forehead.

"How are you feeling?" Dean asked.

"Have I ever told you what a mother hen you are?" Sam asked and coughed a little more.

"Shut up and answer the question, bitch." Dean said even though he knew Sam couldn't be entirely A-okay since his brother's forehead still felt hot to the touch.

"I'm not so cold anymore." Sam answered which relieved the older brother.

"Good. That's good, Sammy." Dean said in a soft voice.

Sam never spoke much about his time in the cage which Dean understood fully. He hadn't exactly been keen on sharing his hell experiences with his brother either when he'd returned from hell – whether it had been to protect him _or_ his brother from the horrible memories. When Sam once in a while did share something from his time in hell though he often mentioned the piercing coldness.

"It wasn't fun being burned alive." Sam had said one day at a random drive in the Impala. "And I know it sounds strange but.. it was nice trying something different than the cold for once, ya know? No matter how painful it was."

And Dean understood it perfectly well but that didn't mean he hadn't found it necessary to turn all his focus on the road just then, to focus on anything else than his brother in that moment because otherwise Dean would have broken down in tears. The thought about Sammy, his baby brother, having experienced so much pain and torture was unbearable and Dean wished more than anything else that he could wipe away those bad memories from his brother's mind.

Dean knew it would only be a matter of time before his little brother again felt cold, but for now Sam was warm and content in Dean's arms and that thought soothed the older Winchester brother.

"Sam?" Dean asked in a low voice but the only answer he got was the steady and even breath of his brother's, and Dean realized Sam had fallen asleep again. "You always did rest more calmly this way, huh?"

Dean carded a hand through Sam's curly brown locks and sighed. He really needed to go pee but he guessed he could stay like this just a little while longer.. _For Sam's sake_.

**_ SPN _**

Sam was sick for a whole week and a half. What Dean had first expected to be a common cold from the run-in with the avalanche had turned out to be pneumonia, so Dean had treated the disease with antibiotics and had taken care of his sick brother like he'd always done. Exactly ten days after New Year's Eve, Dean finally decided it was time to leave the motel room – to Sam's big relief. Dean had forced the younger brother to stay in bed every single day and Sam had barely even been allowed to leave the bed long enough to go to the bathroom to pee. So now that Sam was more or less healthy the brothers would be hitting the road again. Sam still felt pretty weak though but he was sure he just needed some days to adjust.

"Come on Sasquatch, hurry up!" Dean said as he picked up one of their bags to carry it to the Impala.

"I would be a lot faster if you didn't make me wear all this stuff." Sam grumbled while putting on a pair of warm socks.

When Dean had decided it was time to leave it had been on the condition that Sam was gonna wear as much warm clothes as possible which Sam had agreed on. He hadn't realized it included an undershirt, two t-shirts, pants, a hoodie, two pair of socks, a jacket, gloves, a scarf and a hat.

"It's for your own good, little brother." Dean said and didn't even try to hide his grin when he spotted Sam's outfit.

"I look ridiculous." Sam stated with no amusement in his voice.

"The important thing is that you're not cold, right?" Dean said.

"Yeah, I guess." Sam sighed.

"Good." Dean said and picked up the last bag. "Let's go, Marshmallow Man."

"Haha, very funny." Sam said dryly before he left the motel room with the sound of Dean's laughter behind him.

Not long after the Winchester brothers had hit the road again Sam had fallen asleep with his head resting against the glass of the passenger window. He was woken up when Dean gently shook his shoulder and Sam looked confused around as he realized the car was no longer moving and the day had turned to night.

"Where are we?" He wanted to know.

"I have something I want to show you." Dean said.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You'll see." Dean said. "Stay here, alright? I'll come get you in a minute."

"But Dean.." Sam said as Dean opened the door and stepped outside.

"A minute, Sam!" Dean said before closing the door behind him.

Sam stared at the closed door while trying to gather his thoughts. He could hear Dean rummage in the trunk for a short minute before closing it again and disappearing into the dark. What the heck was his big brother up to _now?_ And it was Dean, right? Not one of Sam's hallucinations again? Sam bit his lower lip and then took off his gloves to rub his thumb across the scar on his left hand before letting out a relieved breath. His brother was real then. Sam was startled a little when the passenger door was suddenly ripped open and he turned his head to see Dean pop his head inside the car.

"What have you taking off your gloves for?" Dean asked. "Put them back on, it's cold outside!"

"But what are we.." Sam started before Dean apparently lost his patience with the younger brother and took the gloves away from Sam before putting them back on his little brother's hands. "Dean, I'm not four years old!"

"No, but you're slow." Dean retorted right away before he suddenly conjured up a blanket that he dumped into Sam's lap. "Wrap that around you too and come outside."

Sam decided to stop trying to figure out what Dean was up to and he instead wrapped the blanket around him before his brother had a chance to do that for him as well. Sam then stepped out of the car and Dean led him to sit down on the hood of the Impala.

"Just a second." Dean said before he disappeared into the darkness yet again.

Dean was running back to the car a few moments later and took a seat next to his brother on the hood of the car. Before Sam could ask more questions, the surroundings were suddenly lighted up and a bang sounded above them. Sam jerked his head up to see a big bouquet of colors form on the sky and his mouth fell slightly open.

"Fireworks." Sam said as another one went off. "You did all this?"

"Yeah." Dean said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I figured since we both missed out on the real turn of the year we could watch the fireworks together now. No big deal."

Sam nodded and turned his head away from the fireworks to look at his brother and his eyes suddenly filled with unshed tears. Sam was so grateful for everything Dean had done for him throughout the years, the way he'd always protected and taken care of Sam and still was. When Dean felt Sam's gaze on him he turned his head as well and saw the emotion on his little brother's face. Dean shot Sam a wry smile and reached out a hand to give his brother's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Happy New Year, Sammy." Dean said.

"Happy New Year, Dean." Sam said before they both turned their attention back to the fireworks.  
  



End file.
